Improvement in folding-chairs



um. FPIOTD-IJTHOGRAPHEH. WASHINGTON. D, c.

diritti ,gitana am auch -Leuers Patent No. 111,209, dated January 24, 1871i" IMPRQVEMENT INA FOLDING-CHAIRS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and` making part of the same.

To all persons to whom these presents muy come:

Beit known that 1,' FRANCIS MARCH Homrus, of Boston, of the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvenient in Folding-Chairs; and do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawing, of which- Figure 1 is a side elevation,

Figure 2, alongitudinal section; and

Figure 3, a rear view of one ol'- inyvimproved folding-chairs.

rIhe main features of the folding-chair as improved by me consist in a seat, A, two sets of crossed levers, B B G C', a back, l), and two supporting seat-rungs, E F, arranged as represented in the drawing. rlhe longer levers B B ale crossed on the shorter one G G, and pivoted thereto, the pivots being shown at c c. Furthermore, the longer levers are disposed between and against the shorter levers, each pair being connected'by one of the seat-supporting rnngs.

Figs. 1,' 2, and3 of the drawing Yabove mentioned exhibit the chair in an unfolded state, or ready forbeing sat upon.

Figure 4, however, denotes a front elevation, and

Figure 5, a vertical section of theV chair as it appears when in a folded state, it .being so constructed that, when in this latter condition, and its four feet may be resting on a floor, it will stand alone, or,. in other words, maintain'ts erect or standing position without extraneous aid, the lineV of direction or vertical from the center of gravity ofthe chair falling,

within the base or rectangle embraced within the feet ofthe legs,

Folding-chairs, asusually constructed', when folded, require to lean against some object, in order to snstain them from falling.

In my chair, as shown in the drawing, the legs are made of equal length, and the twoscat supporting rungs are arranged at equal distances from the pivots or joint-pins of the By the legs of the chair I mean those portions of the levers that extend below the pivots of the levers. Furthermore, the seat is connected to the front ofthe two seat-supportin g rungs by two double-jointed hinges Gr, each being composed of three leaves, b c d, arranged and jointed together as -shown in @s 6 and 7, of which- Figure 6 denotes a top View, and Figure 7, an edge view of one of such hinges.

Thatwouter hinge-leaf b, which is fastened to the rung, is curved or made in the hook-form, vas shown,

lin order that it may embrace or partially extend around the rung, and thus relieve the connection-screws from strain, and prevent the rung from being split by such stra-in.

rllhe'other outer leaf (l is screwed directly to the seat, the whole being arranged as represented.

Ihe length of the middle leaf c should be equal to, if not a little greater than, the diameter or width of the back rung E, the purpose of the three-leaved or double-jointed hinges, as described, being to enable the seat to foi-d down in rear of the back rung; and when the chair is folded, to take position with respect to the other parts in manner as represented in' figs. 4 and 5.

A back-stop, c, extends upward "from the rear part of the seat at its middle, such stop being to bear against the posterior side of the back.

In addition to the said back-stop there are applied to the seat, so as to extend down from itin manner as represented, two or other suitable number of rungstops j j, which, when the scatis resting on the two rungs E F, bear against the back rung.

One object of 4the additional stop f is to prevent sudden spreading asunder of the legs of the' chair and falling ot' the chair to the floor during the act of folding it, which, without the rung-stops, would he liable to occur when the chair is withoutarm-bands or rests I I, and the'seat may be in the act of being turned, so as to carry thc back-stop entirely below the .back of the chair.

:The back-stop answers to relieve the back-rung from much ofthe strain to'which it would be subjected by the rung-stops' were no Aback-stops employed.`

The rnng-stopsare advantageous in other respects. At its upper part the back D has ears or projections g y to rest against andhe fastened to the fronts .of thelonger arms ofthe levers B 'lhe lower part ofthe back maybe tenoned into the said arms, or, if preferable, it may lic-furnished with ears to rest against, and be fastened to the levers B -B. Each pair of legs, near its feet or lower ends, is provided with a rung to extend from one to :the other of such legs, the two leg-rungsbeing shown at 7i i. The 'seat and back may be upholstered, as shown, or be otherwise properly made or prepared.

The' doublejointed hinges not only admit of the legs being made of equal length, and the seat-mugs being arranged at equal distances lfrom their respect- 'ive leg-pivots or joints, but` enable the scatto fold over' and'down back of the back rung E during the act of folding the chair.

I make no claim to connecting the seat of a foldingchair to a rung by means of single-jointed hinges, or thosehaving two leaves only.

What I claim as my inventioli may be stated as follows: i l

1. In -a folding-chair, having'the two sets of crossed levers and the two seat-siipportingrungs, arranged sub'- 'stantially as described, the combination of the seat with the front rungby means of double-jointed or threeleaved hinges, as described. l

2. In a folding-chair, made with two` sets of crossed levers and two seat-supporting rungs, as described, and with the seat connected to` the -front-rung by double-jointed hinges, as set forth, the seat, as provided With the back-stop and one or more rung-stops, arranged to operate with the chair backs and the rear rung, substantially in manner as set forth.

3. A folding-chair as having a .rigid seat'or seatframe hinged to a rung, as explained, two sets of crossed levers and a back, combined to fold as described, and the pivots of the levers so arranged with respect to the feet thereof that the chain-when folded, and resting with all its feet on a ioor or horizontal plane, shall be capable of standing alone, or maintaining itself in an erect or standing position, all substantially as described.

FRANCIS MARGH HOLMES. Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, J. 1t. SNOW. 

